Bell 206-L3 accident near Monument Valley, Utah, December 25, 1985
On December 25, 1985 at about 6:30 am local time, a Bell 206-L3 (helicopter), registered N10UB, was destroyed in an accident near Monument Valley, Utah. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 25, 1985 · about 6:30 am local time
- Place
- Monument Valley, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206-L3 · all 206-L3s on the register
- Registration
- N10UB · registry record · serial 51077
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER CONTACTED POWER LINES AND THE TERRAIN DURING AN ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF FROM A HOSPITAL AFTER A CANCELLED MED-EVAC FLT. THE HOSPITAL IS LOCATED IN A BOX CANYON SURROUNDED BY HIGH TERRAIN AND POWER LINES. THE PLT WAS AWARE OF THE POWER LINE THAT CROSSED THE PROPOSED FLT PATH. A PASSEN GER STATED, AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THAT THE PLT HOVERED BACK TO THE END OF THE LANDING AREA TO INITIATE THE TAKEOFF. THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE UNMARKED POWER LINES DURING CLIMBOUT AND DESCENDED TO GROUND IMPACT. A WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE WXAS COLD AND CLEAR WITH CALM GROUND WINDS NEAR THE HOSPITAL. THEY ALSO STATED THE NIGHT WAS BRIGHT BECAUSE OF A FULL MOON.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,489 hours in all; 3,151 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 5,174 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 356 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 14, 1985; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C30P (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Method
The flight
- Destination: GJC Grand Junction CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N10UB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN86FA054.